Sarah Murphy.
New Zealand will send its first biathlete to the Olympic
Winter Games after Canadian-based New Zealander Sarah Murphy
was confirmed in the team this morning.
The news followed a nail-biting wait for a quota spot and
brings the final New Zealand team size to 16 - the largest
number of inviduals to represent New Zealand at a winter
Olympics.
Murphy's selection depended on an extra quota spot being
allocated from the International Federation, which was signed
off overnight, much to the 21-year-old's delight.
"I love the idea of being the first competitor to represent
New Zealand in the biathlon and I want to help develop the
sport in New Zealand," she said.
Biathlon entails a mix of cross country skiing and shooting,
testing athletes' anaerobic capacity as well as their ability
to recover.
New Zealand Chef de Mission Peter Wardell said finalising the
team was a significant milestone just 16 days out from the
opening ceremony.
"We're heading off to Vancouver this weekend and the athletes
will be coming into the villages in Vancouver and Whistler
shortly after. I'm delighted to be working with New Zealand's
top winter athletes who will make New Zealand proud."
New Zealand team
Alpine skiing: Tim Cafe (Queenstown), Ben Griffin
(Ohakune)
Biathlon: Sarah Murphy (Cadrona/Banff, Canada)
Cross country skiing: Ben Koons (Dunedin/Maine, US), Katie
Calder (Tauranga)
Freeski: Michelle Greig (Queenstown)
Skeleton: Tionette Stoddard (Dunedin), Iain Roberts
(Edinburgh, Scotland), Ben Sandford (Rotorua)
Skating: Blake Skjellerup (Christchurch), Shane Dobbin
(Palmerston North)
Snowboarding: Juliane Bray (Wanaka), Kendall Brown (Wanaka),
Rebecca Sinclair (Wanaka), James Hamilton (Albany), Mitch
Brown (Wanaka)
Bookmark/Search this post with:
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.